


Beyond the Depths

by PotatoSlayer



Category: Free!
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 18:20:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18504502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotatoSlayer/pseuds/PotatoSlayer





	1. Brittle

There were two clouds in the sky.  Two luscious pink fluff balls that reflected the light of the sun that had yet to crest over the hill top.  Trees danced in the gentle breeze that was just enough to pick up the black hair on the top of her head.  Her hair was thick but dead straight and fell limply into the air around her head.  She leaned on the rail of her tiny little home.  The white rail still smelled like fresh paint because her land lord had redone the outside of all the rental houses just a few days before hand.  There was a tickle of mist in the air that was just enough to distort her vision.  The street below her was filled with joggers who were braving the brisk morning air.

Today was to be her first day of college.  She moved to this quiet little town with her friends that she met in high school.  They were the only friends she had made since she was in middle school.  Her name was  Lucinda Cess .  She was incredibly short for her age but her personality was what was really lacking.  She was not a social creature and barely spent any time doing anything except looking at the sky.  Not only did she struggle to hold a conversation, but most people who came near her, were threatened by the crimson red of her eyes.  Often, she heard whispers that many thought she was beautiful, but those same people, once they looked at her, at her eyes, turned away with fear.

She was an isolated creature.

Lucinda  stood up, only her hands on the rail.  Her school uniform, a black and red plaid skirt, black collared top, and gray tie, was caught in the wind.  She brushed her long hair behind her ear and looked up.  It was still plenty early, but if she left now, she could get to school before anyone else and avoid the crowds.

A cherry oak desk.  Walls covered in pictures and awards.  Letters strewn over her bed and floor, written in a rushed, almost desperate calligraphy.  Tear stains lined most of the crumpled papers.  A girl lay on her bed, staring up at her ceiling.  The speckled white of the ceiling of her room wasn't enough to distract her today.  The last letter she received was dated 9 months prior to now.  9 months she'd gone without a word from him.

She rolled over and looked at her farthest wall.  Nearest to her desk was a picture of her another boy.  The boy had bright eyes and dark red hair.  Even though he was always smiling, he had sharp shark-like teeth.  He could be considered intimidating to other people, but to her, he was home.

Her name was  Hanako Miyoto .  Her hair was a deep moss green and wild.  Some strands were curly and some were straight which made her hair look jagged and messy.  But girls always seemed to compliment her and say that it looked nice and styled.  She let it go to her head.  She'd become cocky and snappy since middle school and now everyone knew to keep out of her way.  It was mostly to hide her insecurities.  When her friend had left Japan to go to Australia on a swimming scholarship, she'd felt like she'd lost herself.  She often found herself leading boys on, going on dates and feigning interest, but knowing that she would never have feelings.  None.  For any of them.

Hanako  rolled over and pulled herself to a sitting position in her nice warm bed.  She wasn't wearing anything except a thin single strap tank top and pink panties.  She didn't want to go to school.  Her first class started in less than half an hour and she didn't even know where her uniform was.  Honestly, she didn't care.  And if it wasn't for  Nairi  and  Lucinda , she wouldn't go to school at all.   Hanako  paused in climbing out of bed.  If she didn't get to school in time,  Lucinda  would be worried.  That poor broken girl couldn't handle an entire school without them.  She instigated a more peaceful side out of her.  Being near her reminded her that there was more than one reason to live.  That she really was still needed... no matter what.

Nairi  gasped when she pulled her head out above the water.  She panted for several minutes and looked around the room.  She was in the pool room in the basement of her house.  They kept it really hot down here so that she could go swimming all year round.  Her parents were pretty well off, but she'd grown up fending for herself.  Her family was smart enough to know that if they spoiled her, she wouldn't ever learn to work for what she wanted.  The only thing she was given was this pool.  She worked part time and once she had enough money, she'd buy a car.  

For now, she was just living.

She ran her hand through her bangs that were longer than the rest of her hair.  The very tips of her hair were a light blue color and the rest was so blond it was almost white.  

She swam to the edge of the pool and rubbed her face with a towel and then looked up at the water proof clock at the edge of the pool.  It was fifteen minutes until class started.  She gasped.  She'd lost track of time while swimming and now she was paying for it.  She heaved herself out of the warm water and into the cold air.  She ran to the bathroom to change, gasping when she slipped on the water and landed on her butt.

She rubbed her rump and grumbled, "If only I was as graceful on land as I was in water."  She frowned as she got up.  "Man... I hope  Hanako  wasn't late, too.  Poor  Lucinda ."

Lucinda  was standing on the roof of the school.  Her class was on the top floor and this way, she could avoid the crowd of people when the bell rang.  She trembled at the thought of coming into contact with another person.  She gasped when she heard the roof door fly open.   Hanako  stood there, her green ponytai l  flying in the wind.  For a moment, she looked pissed and ready to scold her friend, but after gazing at her, it melted off and she warmly yelled, "Come on, you'll be late."

Following routine,  Hanako  marched over, took  Lucinda  by the wrist and dragged her back inside.  The entire time,  Lucinda  apologized over and over again.   Hanako  glared at her and demanded, "What are you apologizing for?  If you don't stop, I'll knock your teeth out."

If it were anyone else, the threat would have scared  Lucinda  but she was used to her friends speech and knew that most of the time, her words meant little.  So she'd learned to pay more attention to her  friends  actions.  Right now, her actions said that she wanted to get her to class on time so they didn't get in trouble.  Her hand clenched with fear when they entered the hall way.   Hanako  pulled her in closer to no one would bump into her.   Lucinda  watched her back.  Her friends knew her very well; knew her fears and how to protect her.  She felt safe with them.

Nairi  ran up and threw her arms around  Hanako  and squealed, "Good morning girls!"  She laughed when  Hanako  kicked her off.  She mussed  Lucinda 's hair and much more softly, asked, "How are you today?  Ready to talk to anyone new?"

Lucinda  flinched and ducked behind  Hanako , shaking her head.  Both of them wanted what was best for her.  But they both had very different methods of doing that.  While both of them were very protective of her,  Hanako  was obsessed with keeping her out of  harms  way and getting between her and anyone who seemed like a threat.  She wasn't sure, but it seemed like it was a personal mission for her, like there was more behind it than just being a favor.  However,  Nairi  wanted her to eventually get used to people.  She was always talking about all the things she wanted to do with the three of them; festivals, going swimming in the ocean, skating,  all  kinds of things.  It scared her to think about the crowds of people around her, but  Nairi  was right.  If she wanted to get a job or support herself or anything, she had to get over her fear.

Hanako  growled at  Nairi , "Don't harass her!  If she's ready, she'll tell us."

"If you don't get a cat wet, they'll never get used to bathing."  Nairi  took  Lucinda 's hand and pulled her into the middle of the hall.  "Come on.  There's a girl that wants my help with homework.  Just greet her and say you're my friend."

Lucinda  flinched and tried to pull away, but  Nairi  kept her moving forward.  "No  no , come on,  Lucinda .  Just one sentence and then you can go into the class room."

Hanako  yelled at her, " Nairi .  She's not ready!"

"We can't baby her forever."  Nairi  told her.  "I know I seem like a bitch now, but trust me, she'll thank me for this one day."  While they were dragging her down the hall, bickering over what would be the right thing to do, a guy bumped into her shoulder and  Lucinda  let out a noise.  To her the touch felt like someone stabbing her with a knife.  Her mind reeled back and back.  She trembled and dropped to her knees, tears pouring down her cheeks.   Nairi  gasped and frowned, " Lucinda .  I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"Dammit."  Hanako  turned in the hallway and yelled at the boy that bumped into her.  "Hey, you little bitch!  Get back here!"

The kid looked genuinely shocked and asked, " Wh - what'd I do?"

Hanako  grabbed his collar and snarled, "You bumped into her you bastard."

"I-I'm sorry!  I didn't realize... did I knock her over?"

"N-No... You didn't.  But you touched her!"

"I'm sorry?"

"Don't ever touch her again or I'll make you swallow your own foot!"  Hanako  yelled at him.  She sighed as he ran away, screaming in fear.  It felt good to her to let out her anger.  She was so afraid to get mad in front of  Lucinda  and upset her, but since she was already crying and she was already pissed off, what the hell?  She ran her hand through her hair and turned back, seeing  Nairi  picked  Lucinda  up off the floor.

She frowned.   Nairi  was right.   Lucinda  was helpless.  Hiding her wasn't doing her any good.  They had to break her out of her shell or the poor girl was going to be stuck in her own home afraid of the sunlight.

A tall blonde-haired boy with green eyes was looking back at his friend who trudged more slowly through the hall.  He yelled, "Come on,  Haru-chan , we'll be late at the rate you're going.  We don't want to be late the first day."

Haru  didn't say anything back.  He just kept his eyes on the windows in the hall.  He wanted to be outside, in the ocean, or in a pool, or somewhere he could soak his body for the rest of the day.  He felt like he could drown in the air rather than drown in the water.  Finally he asked his friend, "Makoto, why so rushed?  Everyone else is still in the hallway, too."

"Yes, everyone is probably going to be late."  Mako  explained.  "Let's just not be one of them."

Haru  started to say something else to his friend when he noticed a crowd of people on the other side of the hall.  Three girls were making their way out of it.  The one in the middle caught his eye.  For just a brief moment, he thought he saw red eyes.  She had outrageously long black hair, but it was her eyes that he wanted to get a better look at.

Were they really red?  Could it be...?


	2. Shocking

Nairi  raised her hand, "The answer is the passing of energy between electrons!"

Once again, the teacher congratulated her.   Nairi  was one of the most intelligent people  Lucinda  had ever known.  She worked hard on her grades and had a bright personality that always kept people flocking to her.  Even in the middle of class, she watched as several students all walked up to her, asking if she would help them on their homework.  With a laugh and a brush off, she said, "Oh I'm not that good at this.  If you can't do it, ask me in the morning and I'll help you okay?"

She always did that.   Lucinda  had only ever once stepped into her home.  It's like the place was forbidden territory to anyone but her.  As much as she adored her two friends, she realized there really wasn't much she knew about them.  Was that good or bad?  She appreciated that they didn't ask much about her history, and she didn't ask about theirs, but that they all still trusted each other fully.

Luckily for  Lucinda , she had both of her friends in all of her classes.

Lunch time came around.   Hanako  had left ahead of time to find a seat well away from the rest of the tables.  It was a round one in the far back  corner  so  no one would accidentally bump  Lucinda .  She'd even jumped in the front of the line to get her food for her.  Now she was sitting alone at the table, but still in sight of her friends.  They took good care of her.  Sometimes she felt spoiled, but when she thought of what happened to her back then, she lost the warm feeling.  While they were getting food, a boy had come up and set his tray down.  He asked, "Can I sit here?  I have  no where  else to sit."

Lucinda 's eyes widened.  A blush spread on her cheeks out of fear and embarrassment and she stuttered.  "U-Uh y-yeah, m-my friends a-a-a-are over there.  B-b-but you can s-sit."  When she looked up at the boy, he gasped.  His green eyes locked on her own red ones and he picked up his tray.

" Nevermind !  Your eyes are red...!  Freak!" He shouted and started to turn away when the sound of running footsteps filled his ears.  As he turned back the other direction, he was blind-sided by a flying punch to the face.

Hanako  didn't slow down.  Her fist broke his nose under impact but she turned and kicked him in his neck, sending him over the side of the table and his food into the air.  As soon as he hit the ground, she stood over him and picked him up by the collar.  "What did you call her, asshole!?"

Nairi  grabbed  Hanako  and pulled her off the guy.  "Stop,  Hanako !  You're going to get yourself kicked out, just let it be!"  After scoffing and spitting on the guys face,  Hanako  started to head back for the lunch line when a teacher grabbed her arm and escorted out of the lunch room and to the dean's office.

Nairi  sighed and turned to  Lucinda  and asked, "Are you okay?  Don't let him get to you, alright?  He didn't - "  She  stopped talking when she realized that  Lucinda  was crying.  She started to  lean  in  to hug her but stopped, remembering that she wasn't comfortable with that much contact.  She paused and just patted her friend's back.

At the end of class,  Nairi  was trotting down the stairs when she noticed a couple boys talking at the  mid flight .  The taller one with dark, dirty blond hair was scolding the shorter one with black hair.  The dark blond turned his green eyes on  Nairi   and  blushed, asking, "Oh, sorry, are we in your way?"

Nairi  waved a hand.  "Oh no, not at all.  I was just  \- "

She stopped when the boys turned away when another person yelled.  At the bottom flight, a small boy with bright yellow hair and pink- ish  eyes was waving up at them.  He called, " Mako-chan !   Haru-chan ! It's been forever!  I'll be joining you here at  Iwatobi !"

For a moment, the two boys in front of them seemed to be baffled, even repeating their own names to each other.  Then, at the same time, they both gasped with recognition and looked back at the smaller boy.  They shouted in unison, " Nagisa !?"

Nagisa  ran up the steps and they all moved out of the way so people could walk around them.   Nairi , out of curiosity, stuck close, waiting for the crowd to move along.  She listened in.  The dirty blond, or Makoto, asked, "How many years has it been?  I don't think I've seen you since the swimming club shut down."

Now her attention was really peaked.  As far as  Nairi  had known, the school here didn't have a swimming pool.  Did it?  Were these  guys  swimmers?  Or did they only swim at the club when they were kids and gave it up, now?

"Yeah.  I went to a different school."   Nagisa  explained.  "How have you been,  Haru-chan ?"

The black haired one asked, "Will you stop calling me  Haru-chan ?"

Nagisa  tipped his head in confusion.  "But that's your name,  Haru -chan."  He shook his head and continued on, "I saw the pool outside.  There were cherry blossoms growing around it!"

Makoto sighed, "Yes, but the pool is old and out of use.   There's no swim club either."

Nagisa , genuinely baffled, asked, "Where do  yo  swim, then?"

Haru  answered plainly, "I quit swimming competitively."

Nagisa , taken aback, jumped, "What!?  Why'd you quit!?  I was all excited about getting to swim with you again in college!"

"We're not little kids anymore."  Haru  stated.  "Things aren't going to be the way they used to be."

When  Nagisa  started looking sad, Makoto tried to cheer him up, "Well,  Haru-chan  stopped swimming competitively, but he still loves water.  He can't live without being in the water.  In the summer he swims in the ocean, and this morning he was soaking in the bath tub."

Nagisa  frowned, "What does that have to do with swimming?  That just means he likes baths."   Nagisa  whirled on  Haru  with a bright idea, "What about a hot springs club!?"   He started shaking  Haru .  "Let's start a hot springs club!!"

"I can't stand the heat."  Haru  complained.

"Don't be like that."

The boys started walking again and  Nairi  followed them.  They were on the way to  Lucinda 's class anyway.   Nagisa  asked them, "Hey did you hear?  The swim club we used to attend is finally being torn down."   Nagisa  jumped to the bottom of the stairs.  "Before that happens, why don't we pay a visit?"

"To dig that up?" Makoto asked.

"Exactly!"  Nagisa  stated, "We can sneak in at night..."

Haru  walked on by him.  "You can go by yourself."

"Don't say that!"  Nagisa  insisted.  "Come with us,  Haru-chan !"

"I'm not going."   Haru  insisted.

"Don't you think it'll be fun?"  Nagisa  asked.

"No, I don't."  Haru  retorted.

"Why don't you just humor him?" Makoto attempted.

Haru  flipped his head.  "No it's too much effort."

Makoto off-handedly mentioned, "But there's a pool there...and a pool is much bigger than a bath tub."

Haru  turned to Makoto, his eyes wide and glowing with happiness.  He finally agreed and  Nairi  couldn't help but start laughing.

Makoto chuckled, "Have you been listening to us this whole time,  Nairi-chan ?"

"Sorry.  You guys are just like a big group of happy kids." She giggled.  "But I didn't mean to eavesdrop.  You guys caught my attention with all the talk of swimming.  You all used to attend the same swim club?"

"Yes." Makoto answered.  " Haru-chan  and I have gone to school together since then, but  Nagisa  went to another school.  He just transferred to this college, as you've gathered."

"That's really cool, that you guys were all brought back together like that.  Do you intend to make a swim -  "  Nairi  stopped and looked up, seeing  Hanako  and  Lucinda  across the hall.   Hanako  was impatiently waving at her and pointing to a fidgeting  Lucinda .  The poor girl hated hallways more than anything.  If only there was some way she could help her get over her trauma.  She couldn't even be touched by a stranger without freaking out.  Even with them they were only rarely able to make contact with her.  With a sigh,  Nairi  pulled her bag higher up on her shoulder, "Sorry, I  gotta  go.  Friends are waiting.  I'll chat with you guys later."  To her friends she shouted, "I'm coming,  Hanako !   Lucinda !  Go on ahead!"

Hanako  held a hand to her ear, saying she couldn't hear her over the roar of the crowd in the hallway.  But  Nairi  was distracted when she saw that  Haruka's  attention was caught when said  Lucinda 's name.

Makoto gave  Nairi  a warm smile.  "Yeah, I saw that we have our last class together, so I'll see you then."

She blushed a bit and started off when she saw that  Hanako  had dragged  Lucinda  across the hall and to her.  "Can we go?  Jeez, you're so slow."  Hanako  growled.

"Don't be rude!"  Nairi  snapped.  "I was making friends!   Lucinda  you should  \- "

" Lulu - chan ?"

All of them looked at  Haru  whose wide eyes were locked on the small girl standing before him.

Lucinda  finally looked up, having recognized his voice, but her eyes were even wider than his.  For a moment, she lost her voice and all she could do was tremble.   Her fingers clawed at the air without getting anywhere.  Finally her weak voice asked, "H- Haruka ?"

"Oh my god."  Nairi  gasped.

"She spoke to someone."  Hanako  added.

Lucinda 's eyes started to water.  She let the bag on her shoulders hit the ground and she threw herself at  Haru  who wrapped his strong arms around her, stumbling back by just a step.   Lucinda  buried her face against his neck and cried happily.

Nairi  and  Hanako  just stared at each other in disbelief.


	3. Trembling

Hanako  tapped  Lucinda 's back and asked, "Hey...  wanna  fill us in here?  What's going on?"

Lucinda  pulled away from  Haru  and she could see the displeasure in his wonderfully blue gaze.   Lucinda  turned to  Hanako  and blushed, "S-sorry.   Haruka  was a friend of mine... back when we were really little.  In elementary school."

Hanako  shouted, "What!?  That's crap, you don't even give me hugs!"

Nairi  hit the back of  Hanako's  head and told  Lulu , "I'm really happy that you've found an old friend.  That's great.  You never mentioned anything about having old friends before, so this is a nice surprise."

Makoto looked at  Haru .  "Yeah, you never said anything about her to us."

"We used to swim together all the time."   Haru  explained, but his eyes never left  Lulu .  "She had to move away suddenly.  I honestly never thought I'd see her again."

When  Lulu  saw him looking at her, she blushed and shifted.   Nairi  gasped and asked ,  " Hey, then would it be okay if we joined you boys on your scavenger hunt?  I don't mean to intrude..."

Makoto looked at the other two and commented,  " i  have no issues."

Nagisa  shook his head.  "Sounds like fun."

Haru's  face lit up and he nodded.  "Yeah..."

Once they were in front of the building, Makoto commented, "Wow, this place is pretty trashed..."

Lulu  stared at the  graffiti'd  walls and she suddenly lost all of her nerve.  She shook her head and took a step back.  "I-I'll wait out here guys."

Nagisa  teased, "Awe, are you scared?  It'll be okay.  It's just dark."

Lulu  frowned.  She had gone in a building like that before.   A long time ago.  An old abandoned building.  They told her that it would be fun...

She had never regretted doing anything else more than that.  

Lulu  flinched, the memory fresh in her mind.  "I-I really don't want to."

"No one is going to make you do it."  Hanako  stated.  The green haired girl started to say something else when  Haru  cut in, "I'll stay out here with you."

Nagisa  let out a shout.  "But  Haru-chan !  What about the trophy!"

"You guys can dig it up.  It's fine."  Haru  told him.  "And stop calling me -chan."

Lulu  gripped  Haru's  sleeve and shook her head.  "Don't.  I'll be fine out here.  Go dig up your trophy with them."

Haru  glared at her and said, "I'm not leaving you out here alone."

Lulu  looked at the building and sighed, "I'll go in.  I don't want you to stay out here,  Haruka ..."

Haruka  frowned, " Lulu -chan..."

Nagisa  jumped between them and shouted, "Here, then!  I brought this just in case!"

Makoto looked at the boy's hands.  "Purifying salt?"

"Yes."  Nagisa  explained.  "They say the place is haunted."

Makoto frowned, "Now you're scaring me."

Haru  glared at  Nagisa , "Don't make things worse!"  He glanced at  Lulu , worried the new news would frighten her even more.  To his surprise, she didn't look scared at all anymore.

"I'm not lying.  People have been seeing shadows moving around and hearing sobbing voices."  Nagisa  explained.

Makoto was flinching the whole time that he spoke and  Nairi  giggled, edging up to him and rubbing his side with her elbow.  "Don't worry.  I'll protect you from the big scary ghosts."

Makoto chuckled and commented, "Oh gee, thanks, how courageous of you."  He smiled as  Nagisa  went on and started throwing salt on everyone.

Once inside, the boys took the lead.  Makoto and  Nagisa  were in front with  Haru  and  Lulu  in the middle.   Nairi  and Hana in the back.  Hana had her arms crossed and was grumbling.   Nairi  asked, "What's gotten into you?"

Hana held her hand out, motioning towards  Lulu .  "What is with  Lucinda ?  She did a complete personality flip.  She hardly ever talks or makes contact with anyone.   Her old friend shows up and now suddenly she's talking and clinging!"

Nairi  smirked and taunted, "You sound jealous, Hana-chan."

Hana glared at her and shouted, "I am not!" She screamed at her.  "Don't go acting like you  no  anything about me, okay!?  Just back the fuck off!"

"Jeez.  I was kidding.  You don't have to get so rude."  Nairi  glared at her before looking away.

Hana crossed her arms over her chest again and gritted her teeth.  Dammit.  There she went again.  Whenever she started feeling insecure about anything she blew up on whoever was closest at the time.  It was  Lulu zing  to think those girls were still around for her.  Maybe they understood that she didn't mean it when she did.  Her gaze softened.  The truth was,  Nairi  couldn't be anymore spot on.  She was jealous.   Haru  was an old friend of  Lucinda 's.  If they could meet back up after so long, then why couldn't  Rin  come back to her?  She looked down.  Of course he wasn't coming back.  He'd even stopped writing to her.  He was done with her apparently.

Her heart felt torn.  There were so many things she wanted to say to him.  But now... her chance was long gone.  So yes.  She was jealous that  Lucinda  was getting that second chance that she so desperately wanted.  When she looked forward, she saw that  Lulu  was looking at her, worry filling those unusually red eyes.  Her tiny hand was reaching back to her, wanting to comfort her.

It made her feel guilty and twisted inside.   Lulu  stirred a feeling of protectiveness inside of her, that was no lie, but more than anything, she kept the girl around for those eyes.  Those beautifully iridescent red eyes that were almost the exact same color as  Rin's .  If she didn't know any better, she could have mistaken them for siblings.

She caught  Lulu 's free hand and held it, noticing that the small girl's other hand was still clenched on  Haru's  jacket sleeve.  When she smiled brightly at her and looked back ahead, Hana suddenly felt so much better.  At least she could still do something right.

All of them jumped when a  can  went rolling across the floor.

Makoto was the first to screech, "What was that!?"

Nagisa  put his hand on the back of his head.  "Ah, sorry.  My foot hit an empty can."

Makoto glared darkly at him and demanded, "You're doing this on purpose aren't you."

Nairi  laughed when she realized that the boy had immediately run to the back of the group and hid behind her.   Nairi  couldn't help but tease and muss his hair, "Awe don't worry,  I woulda  shielded you from the big bad ghost."

Nagisa  also teased as they continued walking, "You always were scared of the dark."

They had made their way into the locker room and Makoto commented, "It's not as trashed inside as I expected."

Nagisa  purred, "This really brings back memories."  They came to the lounge area and  Nagisa  ran ahead, looking at picture on the wall.  "Hurry, over here!"  Everyone rushed over and  Nagisa  pointed to the framed image.  "Look, this is from when we won the relay."

Lulu  smiled.  That looked a lot more like the  Haru  she remembered.  A boyish, innocent, always distracted by the water child.  He was as cute then as he was now.  She could easily recognize  Nagisa  and Makoto in the image as opposed to who they are now.  None of them had changed much at all.  But the fourth boy, though she remembered seeing him when she was little, she didn't know his name or match a face to anyone now.

Hana, from behind gasped and pushed them all away.  " Rin ... !? "

Haru  looked at her quickly and asked, "You know him?"

For a moment, Hana felt her heart pounding and tears swelled in the corners of her eyes.  She had a matching picture of this in her room.  She spent most of her evenings staring at it and wishing she could go back in time.  Before he'd gone to Australia.  She stood up straight and whispered, "I didn't realize you guys were the ones he was always talking about.  Now that I think about it... your names match the ones in the letters..."  Her voice cracked. She didn't want to think about it.

Lulu  touched her back, wishing she had the ability to reassure her friend the way they had for her.

They moved on out of the room, and Makoto asked, "Do you think the  marker  is still there?"

Lulu  started to follow the rest of them when she noticed that  Haru  was still staring at the picture.  She could tell from the look in his eyes that  Rin  was someone important to him. And that relay was something that he treasured.  She gently tugged on his sleeve.  " Haruka ...  lessgo ."

"Right."  Haru  agreed, taking her hand from his sleeve and instead, putting it in his own.  They followed the rest of them.

Makoto asked, "Can we pick up the pace a little?"  They went through a hallway, about to go in another room when he noticed something in the dark and made them all stop.  Then they all heard it before seeing a boy their age walking slowly down the hall, a cap on his head.  

He stopped in front of them and tipped his hat up.  " Yo ."  He said.

Lulu  felt  Haru's  body go rigid and she looked at him.  "H- Haruka ...?"

Hana told herself she was imagining things.  But that voice... it changed from what she remembered, but it sounded so eerily like...

"Who's that?"  Nagisa  asked, his flashlight at the ready.

Makoto retorted, "I don't know."

The guy commented, "I didn't think I'd run into you guys here."  He took his hat band and snapped it back. 

As soon as he did and then took the hat off, they immediately shouted, " Rin-chan !?"

Hana stood in shock, staring at what she had to believe was figment of her imagination.  But  Nagisa  ran up and grabbed his arm, "You're back from Australia!"

Hana's hands trembled.  Why had he not told her?  What was he doing back here?

Makoto asked, "What are you doing here?"

"It must be fate!"  Nagisa  told him.

While they rambled, she was aware that  Rin's  gaze was on her and her alone.  She couldn't read his expression in the darkness.  Did he even recognize her?  She'd dyed her hair and grown up a lot.  Maybe he didn't even remember who she was.

Nagisa  carried on, "Some unseen force brought us all here to this exact  \- "

Rin's  gaze suddenly ripped away from Hana and went straight to  Haru .  He snapped, " Haru ?  You're still hanging out with these guys?  You never learn."

Nagisa  gaped, "What are you talking about,  Rin ?"

"And what about you?"  Haru  asked.  "Have you learned anything?"

Rin  popped his neck and stated, "I'm glad you asked.  How about I show you? Let's race,  Haru ."  He turned and started walking, throwing his hat on the ground.  

"Race?" Makoto repeated.  He gasped when  Haru  started walking, pulling right out of  Lulu 's clutch.  "Hey, wait,  Haru !?"

Lulu  stared at his back, her fingers feeling suddenly cold and without purpose.  The very brief sanctuary she'd begun to feel was evaporated to dust.  Why was she here?  What was she doing in this dark  building.   Would the shadows return?  What if it happened again?  What if she died here and no one ever found out?  What if - 

Hana touched  Lulu 's shoulders and whispered, "Come on, let's go see."

The rest of the group followed the two boys into the pool room where they were already taking off their clothes.  Hana's gaze widened and her cheeks turned a deep red.  Her eyes followed the layers of muscle up  Rin's  body.  Australia had treated him well.  She felt a foreign knot in her stomach twist up and threaten to choke her.  Was this really the same boy?  He certainly wasn't a boy any longer.

"I'll show you how different we are now."   Rin  told  Haru , but it felt like he was speaking directly at Hana herself.

Lulu  watched in awe as  Haru  followed suit, stripping off his shirt and tossing it aside.  Like Hana, she couldn't help but stare.  The last time she'd seen his bare torso, he was a small boy with the figure of block of wood.  Now he was defined and powerful.  She was wrong.  The only thing that was the same about  Haru  was his personality and his face.  Physically, there was nothing similar.  She realized she was staring and her cheeks turned pink, but she didn't even try to stop herself.

"Sure."   Haru  retorted back to  Rin .  "Go ahead."

It was then they realized what they were doing.   Nagisa  shouted, "They're going to swim here!?"

Makoto yelled, "Wait!   Haru !  That's a bad idea!"

They both stripped their pants and Makoto shouted, freaking out, until he realized that both of them had been wearing their swimsuits underneath their clothes.

Lulu  giggled suddenly and commented, "You haven't changed at all,  Haruka ..."

Haruka  glanced at her and gave her a warm smile, watching her as she trotted over, picking up the clothes he'd ripped off in such a hurry.

"We have to stop them!" Makoto yelled.

"We do?"  Nagisa  asked.

The two boys locked glares and started walking towards the pool.   Rin  yanked on his goggles and yelled, "Let's do this,  Haru !"  Their walk became a sprint to their posts and they set themselves in position.

Lulu  looked at the pool and her eyes widened.  She shouted, "H- Haruka !  Wait!"

Both of them had just about been ready to dive but dead-stopped.

Nagisa  shined his flashlight on the pool and commented, "There isn't any water in it."

"That's why I tried to tell you to stop them."  Makoto explained.

Rin  pulled off his goggles and sneered, "Lame."  He went back over to his stuff and asked, "Oh yeah, did you guys come here for this?"  He turned, tossing the trophy up and down in his hand.  "I don't need this thing anymore."  He started walking off, just letting it fall to the ground.

Hana's eyes were wide.  What was going on?  What had happened to him?  She remembered the  Rin  that laughed and enjoyed life.  Who was the  Rin  that had taken his place and suddenly started treating them all like crap?  As he walked off, she shouted, " Rin !"  She ran down the dark hallway he was walking into.  She rushed up to him and cut him off.  "What is going on with you?  What... happened?"

For a moment, it looked like his eyes softened, but then he mussed her hair, using it as an excused to push her out of his way.  "You got yourself a new crew, Hana-chan.  Have fun."

"Have fun!?"  She screamed.  "Is that all you have to say for yourself!?  When did you get back!?  Why'd you stop writing to me!?  What happened to you!?  RIN!"  She ran at him, her fist raised for a punched but he moved out of the way and caught her arm, spinning her around and his other hand came up to the back of her neck.  He pulled her to him until his lips were at her ear and he whispered, "I'm sorry.... I've missed you, Hana-chan."  He let her go and walked on off.  "Later."

She stared after him, her eyes wide with disbelief and confusion.  "R- Rin ..."

Lulu  walked up to  Haru , his clothes in her arms.  "Here,  Haruka ..."

He smiled at her and took them, putting them back on, one by one.

Nairi  looked at Makoto.  "What was all of that about?"

Makoto shook his head.  "That is not what  Rin  used to act like.  He was a good friend of ours.  Never such a  \- "

"SHUT UP!" Hana screamed at him.  "That wasn't  Rin !  He must have just been having a bad day!  He would never act like that!  The  Rin  I know never stopped smiling!  Someone must have done something to hurt him!  So back the fuck off!  Don't say anything unless you know what the fuck you're talking about!  You claim to be his friend!  Well if you were then you wouldn't say that shit!  You're no friend of his!  He deserves..." Hana was cut off by tears that started falling from her eyes.  She forced the screams out through choked breaths.  "He deserves friends... friends that... care about... that wouldn't just... you can't assume...  Rin ..." 

Hana gasped when arms wrapped around her and a face pressed to her chest.   Lulu  clenched her friend tightly and shook her head.  "It's okay.  It wasn't  Rin's  fault.  It wasn't him."

Hana hugged her best friend back, trembling on the inside.  What  Rin  had just done, hurt more than any physical injury should could have endured.  How could the person she loved just walk away like that?  " Lucinda ... it's not fair... it's not..."

Haru  watched the two girls with soft eyes.  " Lulu ..."

Nairi  bit her thumb.  Now she understood a little better why Hana was acting so harsh.  She felt bad for acting out on her.  If only there was something she could do to help her friend.  She hated to see her suffer.  She smiled a bit and tried to lighten things with a joke, "Hey, Hana.  You were complaining about  Lucinda  never hugging you.  She's making you swallow your words."

Hana coughed on a laugh filled with tears.  "Yeah.  I guess she is.  Thanks,  Lucinda ..."

"Don't cry..."  Lucinda  told her, not letting her go for even a second.


	4. Chapter 4

"I don't get it, though."   Nagisa  stated, sitting with his arms crossed.  All six of them were sitting outside in the school yard, chatting in between classes.  " Rin-chan  was really weird."

Haru , the only one was laying down, stated flatly, "Look alike."

Makoto asked him, "Why would a look-alike challenge you to a race?"

"A ghost then."

Nagisa  stated, "He wasn't floating."

" Doppleganger .

Makoto cheered.  "Now that takes me back!  We used to do that back at the swim club.  Super fusion:  Doppleganger !"  He struck a pose, nearly smacking Hana and making  Nairi  laugh.

Hana growled.  "Watch where you're swinging those things."

Nairi  stated, "Sounds like you guys had a ton of fun back then."

Haru  rolled onto his side, acting like he was going to try and take a nap.  "Keep it down you guys."  He ordered without opening his eyes.  

Makoto jumped to his feet and asked, "What is wrong with you guys!?"

Nagisa  turned back towards him and commented, "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Haru  sat back up, realizing that he wasn't going to get any sleep.

Nairi  waved her hand at Makoto.  "Just ignore them.  Come on.  We need to get back to class."

Haru  wasn't sure how he'd missed it, but he noticed now that he had his second to last class with  Lucinda .  He smiled as he watched her walk in, waving off  Hanako  and  Nairi .  As soon as she walked in, she tucked herself in, shying away from contact with anyone.  A frowned slipped to his face. She had changed so much.  He remembered when they were  kids, that  she was always the one dragging him out and around, always picking fights with the kids that made fun of them.  Now, it was like she was scared of everyone around her.

She started to go to her seat that she sat in the first day when she spotted him.  She quickly trotted over to the desk next to his, her shy eyes scanning the rest of the classroom.  "I guess I didn't see you last time."

As soon as he heard her sweet voice, the smile returned and he commented, "I think I skipped this class yesterday."

"You skip often?"

Haru  glanced out the window, leaning his chin on his hand.  "I like to go soak in the bath in the afternoons."

She couldn't help but giggle again.  "You haven't changed at all."

Haru  hesitated and commented, "You have... quite a bit..."

Lulu  looked at him and then shifted uneasily.  Once class started, they focused on their work instead of talking to each other.  Once class was over, he walked her out, being sure to stay between her and anyone else leaving the class room.  He commented, "May I walk you home after school?"

"Y-you don't have to."  Lulu  stated, a blush on her cheeks.  "Hana and  Nairi  usually walk me home, so you don't..."

There was a soft pink on  Haru's  cheeks and he had to look away to make it less obvious.  As  Lulu  watched him, it clicked into place that he was wanting to spend more time with her.  Cautiously, she reached over and took his hand.  It had been a long time since they'd talked, it would be nice to get to know him after so long.   Haru's  shocked gaze turned to their intertwined fingers and a smile spread on his lips.   Lulu  whispered, "I'll tell them to head on without me."

"If you're not comfortable with it then  \- " Haru  started.

A guy walking down the hall was messing with a friend and not paying attention.  He stumbled backwards into  Lulu , knocking them to the ground.  As soon as her back hit the floor, her eyes widened and she curled up, trembling.  A silent scream left her throat.  She felt like she was surrounded, enclosed.  She was trapped and she couldn't escape.

Haru  knelt down to her and gently touched her shoulder, " Lulu - chan !   Lulu - chan !  What's wrong, look at  me! "

Hanako  had heard the noise and quickly shoved  Haru  out of the way, "You can't touch her right now.  Someone call an ambulance!"  She kept her distance but spoke slowly and calmly.  " Lucinda .   Lucinda .  Listen to me.  We're all friends here.  No one's going to hurt you.   Lucinda ..."

Haru  was staring through the window into the hospital room.   Lucinda  was asleep now, but she had a breathing mask on to make sure she didn't go into another spell.   Nairi  was standing beside him.  She was in her casual clothes now, a light gray top, purple jacket and boot cut jeans.  She explained, "She had a panic attack.  She's been having them for years if she gets put under too much stress.  It's usually caused by too many people speaking to her, or by someone touching or grabbing her.  Hana and I weren't making it up when we said she was fragile."

Haru's  hand clenched into a fist and he asked, "Why?  What happened to her?"

Nairi  looked at  Haru  questioningly.  "You mean she wasn't always like this?"

Haru's  gaze fell.  He remembered her being the one to convince him to swim all the way to the island off the shore the first time.   Of the two of them, she had been the out-going and brave one.  But now...  "She used to be much different..."

Nairi  sighed, glancing in through the window again.  "Then most likely, the hypothesis that Hana and I came up with is correct."

"What?"

"We had to do some digging.   Lucinda  wouldn't tell us anything about her past.  I think she was too scared to talk about it."   Nairi  stated.  "But we uncovered an old news article about her.  She was involved in an accident in the ocean.  Apparently some kids at her middle school tried to drown her.  They almost succeeded.  We assume that's why she doesn't like people."

Haru's  eyes widened.  "Why would anyone...?"

" Dunno .  That's all we know."  Nairi  stated.  "Maybe she'll open up more to you?   Us  three kind of made a silent pact to not nag each other about our pasts."

"I see..."

Hanako  walked up and stated, "Doctor says they'll let her leave in the morning.  They just want to keep an eye on her overnight."

By the evening, everyone else was long gone but  Haru  was still sitting beside  Lulu 's bedside.   Nairi  had dragged  Hanako  out by her ears just to get her to go home and sleep.  There was only silence except for the steady beating of the heart monitor.  It was familiar to him... but in a much different way.  When they were kids, she was always going out and doing dangerous things; usually ending her up in here with him waiting.  Even now, things hadn't changed.  She was still getting herself put in the hospital, but for a very different reason.

He stared at her soft face.  At least she was sleeping soundly.  His fingers clenched and unclenched in his lap.  He wanted so badly to reach out and brush her splayed hair out of her face, but he was worried now by what would do more harm than good.  He blushed, thinking about how she had run up to him and hugged him just like she had when they were kids.  

When her fingers twitched and  Lulu  started to shift, his heart leaped into his throat and he scooted closer to her bedside.  When she opened her warm crimson eyes, he couldn't stop himself from gasping, " Lulu - chan ?"

She turned her head but didn't say anything right away.  She drank in  Haru's  wide, worry-filled blue eyes before she pulled off her oxygen mask.

She sat up to her elbows but  Haru  gasped, "Don't sit up  \- "

"I'm okay,  Haru ."  Lulu  assured him, resting a hand on his.  "There's no one else around, so I'm fine."

He hesitated, his eyes becoming more worried by the moment.  He asked, "Do I make it worse?  Should I leave?"

"Of course not."  Lulu  told him.  "I'm fine when it's just you."

Haru  looked down, his cheek s turning a soft pink.  His gaze turned back to her and he asked, " Lulu -chan... Can I ask... what happened to make you... like this?"

Lulu  turned away a moment, her black bangs falling into her face.  After a long moment she pulled herself up into a sitting position.  Haru , freaking out, reached out, touching her shoulder to steady her.  She rested her hand on his forearm, still caught off guard when she remembered how strongly developed his muscles were.  She gave him a brief reassuring smile before stating, "I guess I found out that I'm not as brave as I thought I was as kid."

"What do you mean?  Of course you're that brave, what about all the times  \- "

"I think my courage came from being around you,  Haru ."  Lulu  looked at her wrist and the other wires that had her hooked up to several machines.  She let her hands fall into her lap and she looked out the window at the night sky.  "Once I moved away, I tried to make new friends.  I wasn't very good at it. ”  When  Haru  started to ask her another question, Lulu put her hand up and whispered, “I’m not ready to talk about it yet,  Haruka … I’m sorry…”

Haru  blushed and dipped his head.  “Of course… That’s fine.”  When she started to lay back down, he reached out, fluffing the pillow under her head so that she’d be more comfortable.  Once she was laying down, he pulled the blanket up and tucked her in.  Lulu’s soft gaze remained on him.

She softly whispered, “It’s been a while but… doesn’t this take you back…?  When we were little?”

_ “Mom said you can stay here a while.”  _ _ Haru _ _  stated, looking at Lucinda.  She was sitting on the couch, swinging her legs back and forth.  Her huge round, red eyes were on him.  He handed her a bottle of water.  “At least until someone comes to pick you up.” _

_ Lulu shook her head.  “No one’s going to come for me.” _

_ “Why not?”  _ _ Haru _ _  asked.  “Won’t your parents start to wonder where you are?” _

_ Lulu blushed and put her hands up.  “No, my parents don’t make a big deal of where I’m at.  They’re too busy to even notice when I’m gone.”  She turned and dropped down, her head falling onto the arm of the couch.  Her long red hair dripped off the edge and fell, almost touching the floor.  Some of it was spilled across her face. _

_ Haru _ _  blushed and squeaked, “You’re pretty.”  As soon as he said it, his cheeks turned even  _ _ more red _ _. _

_ Lulu laughed out loud _ _  and sat up.  “You tell me that every day,  _ _ Haruka _ _.  And just like every other time, thank you.  You’re pretty too.” _

_ He looked away out of embarrassment, but she couldn’t help the feeling of happiness that came when she saw his bright blue eyes light up.  It happened when he was anywhere near water, when he complimented her, or when she complimented him.  She pointed her bottle of water at him.  “Tomorrow,  _ _ Haruka _ _ , can we go swimming again?  I  _ _ wanna _ _  go all the way to the deep  _ _ deep _ _  water!” _

_ Haru _ _  gaped.  “But the lifeguard said we can’t go that far.” _

_ “So?” Lulu giggled.  She took another drink before laying back down and relaxing.  “Oh well.  If you don’t want to, then we won’t.  We can stay in the shallow water where it’s crowded and there’s no room to soak up the  _ _ su _ _ -“ _

_ “I-I’ll go!”  _ _ Haru _ _  shouted. _ _   His cheeks were the cutest shade of pink but his blue eyes were swimming with excitement.  “I just hesitated because… well… I thought you might actually be scared.” _

_ Lulu laughed so loud it hurt her own ears.  “I offered the idea, why would I be scared of it?” _

_ “You’ve suggested other things that you didn’t really mean.”   _ _ Haru _ _  stated.  “Like when you said we should go cliff diving.  You just said that in front of those kids so they would think you were cool.  Remember?” _

_ “Yeah, well.  I would have done it.  But I just wasn’t feeling it that day.”  Lulu looked at him and sighed, rolling over, her back to him.  “I guess I do stupid things.  You’ll get used to it.” _

_ Haru _ _  trotted over to the chair and pulled the blanket off of it.  He tossed it gently over her tiny, bruised body.  She had been getting into a lot of fights and he was worried about her, but he knew that if he said anything, she’d blow him off like always.  He tucked the blanket in around her and patted her hair.  “Can I get anything else for you?” _

_ Weakly, Lulu told him, “No.  Thanks though.” _ _   She waited until she heard him walk away to roll onto her back.  She saw the small boy trot up the stairs and her cheeks reddened.  Was this what a family felt like…? _

Haru  gently touched Lucinda’s black hair, picking up a couple strands between his fingers.  He asked, “When did you dye your hair?”

“Sometime last year.”  Lulu answered, her gaze still dancing with his.  Her eyes traveled to his strong arm and the hand that held her hair.  He had changed so much in appearance, but at the same time, not at all.  He looked much older and much more handsome then she remembered, but he still held that boyish innocence and charm.  Her heart raced in her chest, remembering the happy times they always shared together.  Could they go back?  Could she forget the nightmares that plagued her?   Could she ever truly live again?

She grasped his hand softly in her delicate fingers.  Compared to her hand, his felt like concrete, something strong and sturdy she could hold herself up with forever.  Quietly, she asked, “ Haruka … will you… stay in here with me tonight?  I know it’s not comfortable but I – “

His eyes lit up and quickly he answered, “Of course I’ll stay!”  He paused and blushed, whispering back, “I… missed you…”  As he gazed upon her, every feeling of happiness and calmness he’d felt with her came rushing back.  He blurted, “You’re so pretty, Lulu-chan.”

Lucinda stared in shock at the boy.  Hesitantly, she asked, “Despite the red eyes, the changed hair color, morbid personality, and years we’ve spent apart, you’re still using that line on me,  Haruka ?”

Haru  couldn’t meet her gaze.  Instead, he withdrew his hands to his lap and stared down at them while shifting and answered, “It’s not just your looks that I find pretty, Lulu…”

For the longest time, Lulu just lay in shock, not sure what to say.  Her heart was pounding out of control and she felt like she was losing her mind.  She gripped the sheets and flipped over, once more turning her back on him.  “Don’t say crazy things so suddenly like that!  Jeez!  Some things never change!  I’m going to bed.  Goodnight!”

At first,  Haru  was in shock at her reaction, but then his eyes warmed and he smiled gently.  For a brief moment, the walls she had built up around her cracked just the slightest.  He saw a glimpse of his best friend start to peek through.  She was still in there and it was up to him to return her to her old self.  He wanted to see that beautiful broad, care-free smile again.  But more than anything… he wanted to be the reason for it. 

He stood and mussed her hair before heading for the door.  Lulu quickly sat up and asked, panicked, “Where are you going?”

Haru  paused, staring at her and her worry-filled expression.  He pointed and answered, “To get blanket from the front counter.”

Totally embarrassed, Lulu dropped back down and rolled on her side again, shielding herself from further embarrassment.


End file.
